New Mexico Soundstage Investment Promises More Film Production
Todd Gilchrist editor Soundstage facilities, an increasingly in-demand component of film production, are at the heart of New Mexico’s growing reputation as a destination for ambitious studios. Amber Dodson, director of the New Mexico Film Office, says that while locations from “the mountains of Montana in ‘Big Sky’ to the streets of Manila in ‘The Cleaning Lady’” make her state ideal for filming, what’s crucial is filmmakers’ access to interior production space. “We understand that stage space has been a struggle, not only in New Mexico,” she says. In fact, that’s what initially caused Netflix to lead the charge in making New Mexico a Hollywood away from Hollywood; in 2018, they purchased Albuquerque Studios, a 28-acre site where “Better Call Saul” and “Hell or High Water” completed production. In addition to that facility’s eight soundstages, the streamer employs workers at third-party properties outside Albuquerque, says a Netflix spokesperson.